Bellringer
March 19, 2012
 Take out your Chapter 8 Notes
 Take out something to write with
Chapter 8, Section 3:
The Fall of the Republic
Objectives
Today you will learn:
• How the use of enslaved labor hurt farmers,
increased poverty and corruption, and brought the
army into politics
• How the failure of the republic led to the creation
of the Roman Empire
*Trouble in the republic
 *Problems at home –
 *Dishonest officials stole
money

*Gap growing between rich
and poor

*Thousands of farmers faced
ruins

*Cities overcrowded &
dangerous
*Rich vs. poor
 *The rich – ran the
Senate, held most
powerful gov’t jobs,
handled Rome’s
finances, and directed
wars
 *Many farmers - were
in debt & sold their land
to work in the cities
Rich versus poor
 *Slaves – POWs used by
patricians, forced small
farmers out of business
 *Latifundia – large
farming estates
*Why did reform fail?
 *Tiberius & Gaius –
bros that thought that
many of Rome’s
problems were caused by
the loss of the small
farms.
 *Asked the Senate to take
back public lands,
divided it among landless
Romans
Why did reform fail?
 *Greedy Senators put
their own interest above
the welfare of the
Republic
 *133 B.C. – Tiberius
killed
 *121 B.C. – Gaius killed
*The army enters politics
 *Marius – military
leader. B/c consul in 107
B.C.
 *Paid soldiers –
Marius recruited soldiers
from the poor, paid them
*promised them land
The army enters politics
 *Sulla – Rival of Marius.



*82 B.C. made himself
dictator
*Weakened – the Council
of Plebs
*Strengthened – the
Senate
 *Civil War – over his
hope of recapturing the
Republic’s glory days

Era of Civil Wars for the next
50 years
*Julius Caesar
 *1st Triumvirate –
Crassus, Pompey, &
Caesar
 *Triumvirate –
political alliance of 3
ppl
Julius Caesar
 *Julius Caesar was very
popular w/the poor
 *The Senate wanted
Pompey to rule alone
*Caesar’s military Campaigns
 Pompey – Spain
 Crassus – Syria
 Caesar – Gaul
 Crassus killed in
battle in 53 B.C.
 Senate – Caesar give up
his army, come home
Caesar’s military Campaigns
 *Rubicon – small river
at southern boundary of
command area
 *Caesar knew he was
starting a civil war
 *“Crossing the
Rubicon” – means
making a decision you
cannot take back
Caesar’s rise to power
 *44 B.C. Declared
himself dictator of
Rome for life
 *Caesar appointed his
friends – filled the
Senate w/ new members
loyal to him
*Caesar’s rise to power
 *Policies made him
pop. w/ the poor –



*Provided land for the
landless
*Created work for
unemployed
*Ordered landowners using
slaves to hire free workers
 *Julian Calendar – 12
months, 365 days, leap
year

*Used until A. D. 1582 in
Europe
Months
Lengths before
45 BC
Lengths as of
45 BC
Ianuarius[3]
29
31
Februarius
28 (leap years: 28 (leap years:
23 or 24)
29)
Martius
31
31
Aprilis
29
30
Maius
31
31
Iunius[3]
29
30
Quintilis[4]
(Iulius)
31
31
Sextilis
(Augustus)
29
31
September
29
30
October
31
31
November
29
30
December
29
31
Intercalaris
0 (leap years:
27)
(inserted
between the
shortened
February and
March)
Caesar’s rise to power
 *Enemies feared he
wanted to be king
 *Ides of March – Day
Caesar was murdered
(March 15)

In Roman times, the Ides
of March was a festive day
dedicated to the god Mars
and a military parade was
usually held.

“Eu tu, Brute?”
Caesar’s rise to power
 *Civil War – Caesar’s
death plunged Rome into
another Civil War
 *Octavian – Caesar’s
grandnephew – inherited
Caesar’s wealth
 *Antony & Lepidus –
2 of Caesar’s top generals
*The 2nd Triumvirate
 *2nd Triumvirate –
began quarreling almost
immediately
 *Problems w/in -
Octavian forced Lepidus
to retire from politics

*Divided the Roman
world between Octavian
and Antony
 Octavian – west
 Antony - east
The Second Triumvirate
• *Battle of Actium – 31
B.C. battle of the west
coast of Greece.

*Octavian destroyed the
army/navy of Antony
and Cleopatra
*Who was Augustus?
 *Cicero – political leader,
writer, Rome’s greatest
political speaker



Against dictators
Swayed many Romans
Influenced framers of the
Constitution
 *Imperator – came to
mean “emperor”
 *Octavian took the title
of Augustus – “the
reverend or majestic one”
Other Info:
The emblem for the
army was the eagle
surrounded by a
victory wreath.
Underneath are the
letters SPQR which
are Latin for The
Senate and People of
Rome
Caesar & Cleopatra
 Cleopatra was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 69 B.C. When her father, Ptolemy XII
died in 51 B.C., Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIII succeeded jointly to the
throne. They married as was the custom in Egyptian royal families. In 48 B.C.
Ptolemy assumed control of the government and drove Cleopatra from the
throne. Shortly before this event there had been civil war in Rome between Julius
Caesar and Pompey, for the leadership of Rome. Pompey was losing to Caesar, so
he fled to Egypt to seek sanctuary. Caesar followed him there.
 When Caesar arrived in Egypt, he was amazed to discover that Pompey had been
beheaded by the Egyptians four days before. During this visit was the first time
that Caesar met Cleopatra. They instantly fell in love. Caesar helped Cleopatra
defeat her political enemies, but during one of these battles the library at
Alexandria was burnt down. It was an enormous loss. A few years later, Cleopatra
gave birth to a son, Caesarion, whom she claimed was Caesar's.
• In 46 B.C., Cleopatra went to Rome with her
newborn son to visit Caesar. She stayed in the city
until the year Caesar was assassinated, 44 B.C. After
she returned back to Egypt, she ordered the death of
her brother so that her own son could eventually
become the sole heir to the Egyptian throne.
Homework
 Take out a sheet of paper:
 Title: Chapter 8, Section 3 Review Quiz
 Number it 1 - 5